1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image capturing apparatus, an image capturing control method, an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a storage medium for enabling the generation of data of a panoramic image with a wide dynamic range.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, technology is known for capturing horizontally long or vertically long images captured over a wider angle of view (i.e., so-called panoramic images) than images captured over a standard angle of view (hereinafter, referred to as “normal images”). While the panoramic images are generally captured with a special wide-angle lens which enables image capturing over a wider angle of view than a normal lens, recent technology enabling the capturing of panoramic images with the normal lens is also known (see, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. H11-65004).
According to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. H11-65004, an image capturing apparatus successively and repeatedly performs an image capturing operation (hereinafter, referred to as “continuous shooting operation”) while the apparatus is moved by a user. Thereafter, the image capturing apparatus composes respective data of plural normal images acquired in the continuous shooting operation to generate data of a panoramic image. The data of the panoramic image thus generated is data of a horizontally long or vertically long image formed by joining plural normal images.
However, when data of images with a wide angle of view such as the data of the panoramic image described above is acquired, in high contrast scenery, highlight clipping and shadow clipping occur in light areas and dark areas, respectively.
A technology for solving this problem is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. H11-65004.
According to the technology disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. H11-65004, the image capturing apparatus captures plural normal images over a predetermined moving range in a predetermined exposure amount, and then changes the exposure amount and captures plural normal images again over the same moving range. Thereafter, the image capturing apparatus composes respective data of these plural normal images to generate data of a panoramic image with a wide dynamic range.
Here, the technology disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. H11-65004, as mentioned above, assumes image capturing twice over the same moving range. Such an assumption requires the exact coincidence of the moving range of the image capturing apparatus, and therefore a rotatable platform for fixing the image capturing apparatus is needed. Thus, if the rotatable platform is unprepared, or if the rotatable platform cannot be stably installed, the acquisition of a panoramic image with a wide dynamic range by applying the technology disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. H11-65004 is extremely difficult. In the cases mentioned above, the user will hold the image capturing apparatus with hands and move the same, but it is very difficult for the user to move the image capturing apparatus both times over the same moving range.